Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa has called for public participation in the validation of the new Social Health Insurance benefits package.
The validation exercise will take place on Friday, August 30, at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
“Having undertaken public participation and stakeholder engagement and incorporated feedback from the Public and Stakeholders, the Cabinet Secretary and the Board of the Social Health Authority shall hold a National Validation Exercise on the Tariffs to the Benefit Package," a notice by Barasa reads.
“We therefore invite all stakeholders and members of the public to participate in the National Validation exercise, scheduled for Friday, August 30, 2024, at KICC, as from 9 am.”
The new benefits package was developed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, in consultation with the Social Health Authority Board.
The Social Health Insurance Act No. 16 of 2023 was enacted on October 19, 2023.
It is set to replace the National Health Insurance Fund.
The government rolled out mass registration of Kenyans to the Social Health Insurance Fund on July 1, 2024.
According to the Chairman of the Social Health Authority, Timothy Olweny, as of August 14, slightly over 500,000 Kenyans had registered.
He said that the Fund will address NHIF's shortcomings.
Olweny said the Act will provide additional services that were not covered by NHIF.
“We will be better than NHIF. The transition is going to be very smooth,” he told the Star.
Preparations are in full gear to have the programme working, Olweny said. This is despite the court cases that have dragged the process.
He said Kenyans should expect the Social Health Insurance Fund to be fully operational by October 1.
